Tracing my Dutch & German connections

Private User

7/20/2011 at 2:28 PM

My great-great grandmother was Dutch I believe, I cannot read her daughter's handwriting very well (the information I have is via her records), but her first name appears to be:

Madalence, the rest is clearer: Johanna Verwagen.

I've no idea which region she was born in, but she spent a large part of her life in the West Indies. Her married name was Weber (don't have any more information on her husband), and she lived in what was then called British Guiana. Her daughter Florence Marie Weber married my great-grandfather Dr George Herbert Kemp Ross in 1899.

I do have 2 photos of M. Johanna Verwagen, in her middle-age which I can email to anyone who thinks they might be able to help.

Kind regards
N Rains

Marvin Caulk, (C)

7/20/2011 at 3:36 PM

Fred Bergman 1941

If she can upload it, maybe you can read it for her.

She's a new user

Private User tagged

Fred Bergman 1941

7/21/2011 at 12:12 AM

Private User

Marvin Caulk, (C)

yes, I can give all help needed. even I can ask my dutch networkers to visit and research in the Dutch governmental archives

Mike Stangel G

7/21/2011 at 6:33 AM

No, but we may be able to do it by tweaking the database a bit. I'll look into it once I'm in the office.

Marvin Caulk, (C)

7/21/2011 at 10:15 AM

Thanks Fred Bergman 1941

I'm sure there are others looking for Dutch help.

Mike Stangel G

7/21/2011 at 11:10 AM

Fred, done: http://www.geni.com/discussions?discussion_type=project-5657

Private User

7/27/2011 at 2:57 PM

@ I think it is realistically rather a long-shot for anyone to be able to track down any Dutch connections. My great-grandmother (Florence Marie) was born: 13th April 1874 - Demerara, British Guiana, though I've no idea where her Dutch mother was born. There is a family story that My great-grandmother recalls Bismark visiting her parents when she was a small child, so where that was I've no idea, though I cannot imagine that it took place on a British colonial island, they must have lived at some stage on one of the German islands in the West Indies, like St Thomas perhaps?

Kenneth Kwame Welsh, (C) C

7/27/2011 at 3:01 PM

British Guiana is on the South American continent; St. Thomas was a Danish colony.

George J. Homs C

7/27/2011 at 9:53 PM

Nicola, perhaps it may yield extra clues... I found references to a J. Verwagen (spelled Ver Wagen) in 1807 in Essequebo/Demerary on this link: http://www.vc.id.au/edg/1807edrg-people-s.html. The entry suggests that he captured runaway slaves. Perhaps there are archives kept from the old town of Stabroek in Guyana. I'm saying Stabroek, because that's how the capital of Guyana was called in 1807. Let's see if we can find any contacts to archives in Guyana? Of, have you already tried that? The Verwagen might have come to Demerara anytime during 200 years before it was taken over by the British. We're trying to set up a Geni project where we do exactly that: identifying archives for any 'entry-point' into the Americas, but we haven't gotten as far yet. We currently just have a list of the 'entry-points'. Perhaps join that project too? We definitely would want to add Essequibo/Demerara resources there : http://www.geni.com/projects/Americas-Immigration

George J. Homs C

7/27/2011 at 10:00 PM

Here another reference to the same case of Verwagen, with the name of the proprietor of the slaves, David Murray: http://www.vc.id.au/edg/18071010edrg.html

Private User

10/22/2011 at 6:43 AM

Do you speak, read or write GERMAN? If so, please join : http://www.geni.com/projects/International-German-Portal
mit vielen GRUESSchen, jeannet-CHEN.

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Tracing my Dutch & German connections - can you help?

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